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Succession and Disturbance in an Endangered Red Spruce−Fraser Fir Forest in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina, USA

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Succession and Disturbance in an Endangered Red Spruce−Fraser Fir Forest in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina, USA Vol. 18: 17–25, 2012 ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH Published online July 20 doi: 10.3354/esr00431 Endang Species Res Succession and disturbance in an endangered red spruce−Fraser fir forest in the southern Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina, USA Philip B. White, Saskia L. van de Gevel*, Peter T. Soulé Department of Geography and Planning, Appalachian Tree Ring Lab, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina 28608, USA ABSTRACT: Red spruce−Fraser fir forests are geographically limited to high elevations in the Appalachian Mountains (USA) and are considered to be endangered in the USA. We investigated the successional status and radial growth patterns in the heavily disturbed red spruce Picea rubens Sarg. and Fraser fir Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir. forest of Roan Mountain, Tennessee and North Carolina. This study elucidates the complexity of second-growth red spruce development after logging and disturbances by balsam woolly adelgid Adelges piceae Ratz. We documented precise temporal information of stand age, disturbance regimes, recruitment patterns, and the successional trajectory of the spruce−fir forest community. We used radial growth patterns of red spruce samples to detect the frequency and magnitude of disturbance. Red spruce was the oldest dominant canopy species, although Fraser fir had high recruitment rates over the past 80 yr. Changes in forest structure and species richness coincided with stand-wide disturbance events such as balsam woolly adelgid infestation and widespread early twentieth-century logging. The competitive advantage of Fraser fir over red spruce has resulted in an even-aged Fraser fir-domi- nant forest that occupies a relatively early stage of successional development. This study provides a 130 yr environmental history to assist land managers in the southern Appalachian Mountains as they develop long-term restoration plans for this unique ecosystem. KEY WORDS: Disturbance · Spruce−fir forest · Dendroecology · Stand dynamics · Logging · Balsam woolly adelgid Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION 2002, Rentch et al. 2007), as anthropogenic activities have altered disturbance vectors and successional pat- The red spruce Picea rubens Sarg. and Fraser fir terns. The forest community exists in only a few dis- Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir. forests of the southern junct, island populations at high elevations in the Appalachian Mountains are ranked as the second most southern Appalachian Mountains. The RSFF forest has endangered ecosystem in the USA (Noss et al. 1995, greater plant diversity than similar northern forests Christensen et al. 1996, Rentch et al. 2007). Within the (Delcourt & Delcourt 2000), and sustains several en - eastern USA, these subalpine forests have undergone demic, endangered species such as the Carolina north- a major shift in structure and composition during the ern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus coloratus, past several decades (Johnson & Siccama 1983, Cook spruce-fir moss spider Micohexura montivaga, Roan et al. 1987, Dull et al. 1988, Eagar & Adams 1992, Goelz Mountain bluet Hedyotis purpurea var. montana, and et al. 1999, Busing 2004, Rentch et al. 2007, 2010). rock gnome lichen Gymnoderma lineare (Rentch et al. There is concern about the re sil i ence and vigor of the 2010). This forest type is highly valued by ecologists, red spruce−Fraser fir (RSFF) ecosystem (Wear & Greis park and land managers, and the public. *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] © Inter-Research 2012 · www.int-res.com 18 Endang Species Res 18: 17–25, 2012 During the mid-20th century, scientists observed ern Appalachian Mountains, where endemic en - widespread growth decline and tree mortality in dangered species are present. In the present study, RSFF forests (Hornbeck & Smith 1985, Adams & we quantified the spruce−fir forest age, the current Eagar 1992). The balsam woolly adelgid Adelges forest composition, and the successional trajectory of piceae Ratz., an exotic insect that kills mature Fraser the spruce− fir forest on Roan Mountain in the south- fir trees, has cyclically infested southern Ap pa la - ern Appalachian Mountains. The primary objectives chian Mountain Fraser fir forests since the 1950s, were to (1) quantitatively document the current com- affecting most RSFF forests (Boyce & Martin 1993, position and structure of Roan Mountain’s RSFF for- M. Pyne & D. Durham unpubl. data). Mortality rates est, (2) use dendroecological techniques to investi- for mature Fraser fir trees are high (Dull et al. 1988), gate the forest’s disturbance history and to elucidate and the species is becoming in creasingly less domi- its pre-logging composition, and (3) determine how nant (Busing et al. 1993, Busing 2004). land use and disturbance history have affected the Human disturbance during the 19th and 20th cen- successional development of this forest. turies has affected the forest health and successional trajectory of southern Appalachian Mountain forests. Spruce−fir forests were altered by the aggressive log- MATERIALS AND METHODS ging practices, burning, and subsequent soil erosion which were common in the region during the late Study area 1800s and early 1900s (Pyle 1984, McLaughlin et al. 1991). The great economic value of red spruce Roan Mountain is a part of the Unaka Mountains, a lumber during the early 1900s led to heavy logging subset of the southern Appalachian Mountains and with little long-term management planning (Korstian part of the Blue Ridge physiographic province (Clark 1937, Pyle 1984, Hayes et al. 2007). RSFF forests were 2008). The mountain is located at approximately selectively logged or clear-cut. Extensively logged 36° 6’ 16.42’’ N, 82° 7’ 47.39’’ W, its ridgeline delineat- spruce−fir forests include the Great Smoky Mountain ing the state border between Tennessee and North National Park of Tennessee and North Carolina, the Carolina (Fig. 1). Roan Mountain (including Roan Balsam Mountains, the Black Mountains, Grand - High Bluff and Roan High Knob) encompasses father Mountain, the Plott Balsams, and Roan Moun- ap prox imately 19 km2. The entire Roan Massif, tain in North Carolina; and Mount Rogers, Virginia however, is much larger and extends along the (Pyle & Schafale 1988, Smith & Nicholas 1999, Hayes North Carolina− Tennessee border for approximately et al. 2007). Pyle (1984) found that as much as 50% of 30 km. Much of the massif is jointly managed by Pis- all Appa lach ian spruce−fir forests were replaced by gah National Forest in North Carolina and Cherokee hardwood species after logging. National Forest in Tennessee. Roan Mountain’s high Among the highest peaks of the southern Appala - elevations are classified as Cfb (marine temperate chian Mountains, Roan Mountain hosts one of the climate) under the Köppen climate classification sys- few remaining RSFF forest communities. Located at tem (Christopherson 2006), based on the cooler tem- the boundary between Tennessee and North Car- peratures and increased precipitation associated olina, the Roan Massif area and its spruce−fir forests with high elevation and orographic uplift (Christo- are over 1650 m elevation. Logging began on Roan pherson 2006). Soils are primarily well-drained Mountain during the late 1800s, but was minimal rel- Inceptisol loams that form on steep, rocky slopes and ative to the aggressive logging during the 1920s and ridge tops (NRCS 2010). 1930s when the area was clear-cut, removing trees The Roan Mountain spruce−fir forest was surveyed larger than 15 cm in diameter (Wilson 1991). Logging prior to 1930s logging (Brown 1941) and RSFF were lasted until 1937 and effectively denuded the highest found to represent 89.2% of all trees (62.3% Fraser elevations of Roan Mountain (Wilson 1991). In 1941, fir and 26.9% red spruce). Yellow birch Betula the USDA Forest Service purchased approximately alleghaniensis Britt., mountain maple Acer spicatum 2800 ha atop Roan Mountain, granting protection to Lam., American beech Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., the area’s endangered spruce−fir forest (Wilson mountain ash Sorbus americana Marsh., yellow 1991). Logging has not occurred on Roan Mountain buck eye Aesculus octandra Aiton, and pin cherry since the USDA Forest Service acquired the land. Prunus pensylvanica L. were also present. Although Previous studies have focused on spruce−fir forests Fraser fir had the highest density, red spruce had the in the central Appalachian Mountains, but few stud- highest basal area. Fraser fir was the most common ies have examined this forest ecosystem in the south- tree in the understory (Brown 1941). White et al.: Red spruce−Fraser fir succession 19 Field methods into 3 size classes (Class 1: <2.5 cm DBH; Class 2: 2.5−4.9 cm DBH; Class 3: 5.0−9.9 cm DBH). We established 6 circular 0.05 ha fixed-radius plots (r = 12.66 m) within RSFF codominant stands to study forest composition, canopy structure, and forest dis- Laboratory methods turbance patterns. All plots were located approxi- mately 1800 m or higher in uneven-aged stands. We Increment cores were processed following stan- targeted stands with a variety of age classes to dard dendroecological techniques (Stokes & Smiley develop a historical timeline of disturbance events. 1996). We dated and crossdated all tree cores. Most Plots were separated by at least 100 m and were cores intersected or very nearly intersected the tree’s downslope from the generally southwest to northeast pith. We calculated density, basal area (dominance), trend of the ridgeline. We measured the location, and importance values of each tree species (Cottam percent slope, and aspect of each plot. We collected & Curtis 1956, Ludwig & Reynolds 1988, Matthews & increment cores from all trees ≥10 cm diameter at Mackie 2007, Hart et al. 2008). Importance values breast height (DBH, 1.37 m above ground) to deter- were calculated as the sum of the relative density mine tree age. We cored trees close to the ground to and relative dominance. obtain the maximum amount of growth rings (Fritts We measured annual growth rings from red spruce 1976). Cores with extensive rot and decay were dis- cores to the nearest 0.001 mm with a Velmex measur- carded, but these were relatively few in number.
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